"They are approaching mainly elderly residents and rest homes with the story that they are collecting for Girls' High fundraising. They are very convincing and have been able to use false cards from the school to convince people to give money," Ms Macky said.

The girls no longer attend the school, but sometimes wear a school uniform to enhance their credibility, she said.

The girls are described as caucasian, of slight build and can be very "charming" when approaching residents, Ms Macky said.

Hastings Girls' High School said it did not allow sports teams to collect money from the public door-to-door for school trips.

Any students who claimed to be from the school and were collecting for other charities should have formal identification from those charities.

Anyone who is approached by the girls should contact police immediately by ringing 111. Alternatively, the school can be contacted on 06 873 1133 to check on the validity of any request for money from collectors.

Anyone with information about who the girls are should contact Ms Macky at HB Police on 06 8310700.